Living, not Surviving
by kageryukazehoshi
Summary: An AU story where Harry wakes from his trance of non-workliness just in time.. Follows canon till end of GOF. R&R.


A/N 0: A plot bunny that just would NOT go frigging away from my head... Anyways, this is my FIRST story.. So give me suggestions to improve would ya?

Chapter 1: A New Start

"No. Not Cedric... Nooooooooo". A frightened boy could be seen turning and tossing about his bed in a room not unlike a jail, what with all the bars and cat flaps in the doors and windows. This boy, however was not like so many other boys of his age, whose only troubles revolve around their homework and dating problems. No, this boy had been famous and infamous in turns many a time. He was not so lucky as to have nightmares of aliens and the like. Oh no, all his nightmares were memories, albeit modified to make them even worse. All of a sudden, he jerked and fell off the bed.

As the boy sat up blearily and put on his glasses, a streetlight caught his face, throwing his eyes in sharp relief against his face, sunken in like that of an insomniac. Brilliant, yet jaded emerald eyes peered around, searching for his glasses. Finding them, he slipped them on, and promptly slapped a hand to his own forehead as it seemed to split apart in agony. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists so hard as to draw blood. The pain passed after a few seconds and he stood up shakily, walking over to drink some water from a pitcher. 'Yep', he thought sarcastically to himself, 'Just another new day in the life of Harry Potter.'

'Heh, wonder what those two are doing right now', he thought fondly, thinking of his gangly red headed friend, Ron aka Ronald Weasley, the youngest son of the Weasley clan, and of his bushy headed, brilliant-but-scary friend, Hermione Granger. 'Might, no must be playing quidditch and reading another library', he thought to himself with a sigh, 'And here I am, with nothing to do, completely bored'.

At this point he remembered his dream. 'Cedric', he thought, sudden tears filling his eyes. He could just remember as if it were yesterday, the whoosh of wind and the flash of the green light of the Avada Kedavra curse as it snuffed out Cedric Diggory's life as if it were but a lit candle. "Kill the spare", the cruel disembodied voice of Lord Voldemort seemed to fill his head as he pictured the light in Cedric's eyes going out.

'Is that what is going to happen to me?' Harry thought. 'I should have known that he would have come for me. Why in the nine blazes did I not prepare myself for this? I could have done anything, reading like Hermione always told me to, practicing more magic, working out, anything at all. Heh, I guess I deluded myself into thinking I'd win without doing much eh? Maybe he going out by a rebounded curse or something, or me getting some super weapon. Tch, I forgot this was real life. The Dursleys did teach me one thing though, and that is to rely on myself. Well no more, I'm going to improve. Let's see exactly what the potential is that the professors keep telling me I have.'

'First things first', he thought, getting a pencil and paper that he had filched off Dudley, 'Lets see exactly what I'm good at and what I'm not good at'

List:

Strengths:

Quidditch

Defense against the Dark Arts

Duelling

Able to resist the Imperius curse

Agile

Weaknesses:

Magic theory

Magic Culture

Basic Wand Work

Potions

Divination(?)

No real physical skill

'….. I really have a lot to do, dont I?', he thought with an eye twitch. 'Hell, I'm in fifth year and am really baaaaad, and that's putting it mildly... ah well, no point in crying over spilt milk. I've a hell lot of catching up to do to beat Moldybutt.. hehehehe that's a good one'. He crept down the stairs, being sure to overstep the creaking one and managed to extract his basic magic theory book from his trunk. After creeping upstairs, nearly losing his footing whenever he heard his uncle snore, he sat at his table and proceeded to read.

…._Magic exists only in certain entities, broadly classified as magical creatures, magical beings and magical beings. However, each of these beings manipulate the magic within themselves in a specific manner. For example, Sphinxes, classified as magical beings due to their sentience, use their magic to harmonize themselves to the flow of the ether in the universe and are hence, able to tap into the magic of divination, and are considered excellent oracles. Similarly, magical creatures such as the Belladona plant are so called, because it is the specific brand of magic present in the blood of these organisms that makes them so very valuable in the region of potion making and rituals. The most strange, yet powerful however, are the magical humans. Each of us have, in ourselves a well of magic, that is raw and untamed, yet possessing distinct qualities that are unique to us. The ebb of this magic and the varying patterns it flows in is distinctive to each individual._

_It is this pattern of magic in each individual that determines what gifts the individual possesses._

_The collective pattern and spectrum of magic of the individual that also determines what branches of magic the individual excels at and to what extent, as also the level it can potentially rise to if given the proper nurture. Not only that, the direction of the spin of the magic also determines if the individual is a healer type of wizard or a warrior type. (A list of the potential strengths of each type as well as weaknesses is given in the next section. A simple test is also described)_

It was at this point that Harry paused. 'Holy cow', he thought, 'could it be that my strengths lie in the unconventional magics, and not the norms? After all, I do have the errr.. gift of Parseltongue. That's got to count for something, right?'

Skipping to the section, he read on:

_The easiest method to determine the spin of one's magic is to place one's finger on their head and channel magic though them and their ears simultaneously. To learn precisely how, refer the Mastery book : __**Chanelling magic through the Human Body**__. The basic idea is to concentrate while trying to picture magic accumulating on one's finger tips._

'Ah, crud.' he thought to himself. 'That was informative. Ah well, lets just try it, shall we?'

Unfortunately, in his excitement, he did not read he warning posted at the end of the page.

_Warning: All these tests must be carried out by certified staff or in their presence. Errors in the process may result in permanent blindness, deafness, insensitivity to magic or magical devices and many others. (To find out all possible effects, kindly consult __**The Healer's Almanac)**_

So he sat cross legged on his bed and placed his fingertips on his forehead, trying his absolute best to concentrate on drawing out his magic. After about an hour of this, he finally had enough and frustatedly thought, 'Damn it all. How am I supposed to do this in the first place. Concentrate my foot'. Unfortunately, his magic chose to come alive in response to his frustration and all he was able to think was, "Oh sh.. ", before he felt ...something.. in him come alive, twisting violently counter clockwise before pulsing and knocking him out.

'Where am I?', he thought as he felt a migraine the size of a whale start. Rubbing his temples, he tried to regain his balance, before promptly beginning to dry heave. 'Ah crap, what just happened?', he thought, before he jumped up as the events came back to him. His stomach growled threateningly making him realise he was ravenous.

Trampling down the stairs he proceeded to the kitchen, fixing himself a jumbo sized sandwich in front of his dumbfounded aunt and uncle. "Boy, where the hell were you for the last two days?", grunted his uncle from the seat. Though inwardly shocked that he had been unconscious for the past two whole days, he did not miss a beat as he snidely replied, "Why dear uncle, is that real concern I detect in your voice?" Turning away from the gaping walrus, he bounced off to his room.

Once inside, he excitedly thumbed through the pages till he reached the page he wanted and sat back to read

_Once one has determined whether he or she is a healer or a warrior type magic user, based on whether the cycle is counter clockwise or clockwise respectively, he or she may refer this list of magical branches to determine what he or she is good at. To be noted is the fact that the sub sections of the list are as mentioned and all the strengths can only be truly determined by experimentation and practice. One may possess, albeit rarely, strengths of the other type as well. If so, he/she possesses all the strengths of the subsections in that particular section. Magic is broadly classified in multiple branches. Though not perfect, the sorting system is generally applicable under almost any circumstances._

_LISTINGS:_

_HEALER_

_Contrary to popular belief, healers are extraordinary magic users. While rarer than their counterpart, healers are able to tap into their reserves with extraordinary precision to easily pull off magical feats that warriors can only dream of. Most notable Healers in history are: Salazar Slytherin, Gandalf the White, Helga Hufflepuff, Emyrs Myrrdin.._

_STRENGTHS:_

_1. __**HEALING: **__Healers, as their name suggest are extraordinary at healing, humans and otherwise. Also, they are gifted in the following subsections:_

_Care of Magical Creatures._

_Herbology. (Only few healers are truly gifted in this sphere. They are commonly Earth Elementals)_

_Healing Magicks and Battlefield Healing_

_Parselmagic – Assuming the healer actually is a parseltongue, he/she could possibly be gifted in this sphere. Contrary to popular opinion, parsel magic contains almost no known curses and is full of healing spells and wards)_

_Potion making and Alchemy._

_**WARDING:** Healers are extraordinarily gifted at Warding while their counterparts are much better at curse breaking and ward destruction._

_1. Runic Enchantments: Healers are a natural at runes and their usage. Their use of this underesestimated branch of magic makes them excellent supports as well as warders._

_2. Warding: The name suggests that Healers are excellent warders and are able to create wards very fast. They prefer the subtler, though complicated method of dismantling wards in contrast to overpowering them, as favoured by Warrior types._

_3. Curse detection and removal: Self explanatory._

_3. **NATURE MAGICKS:**_

_Elemental Magic: Light elemental magick, Water Elemental magick, Air elemental magick, Plant Elemental Magick and stangely enough, Lightning Elemental Magicks are wielded to great proficiency by them. Each witch or wizard possesses atleast one element, sometimes two. Merlin was the only one having three, Air, Water and Light. No cross elementalists have been recorded till date._

_Nature Divination: Sometimes called Weather Prediction._

_Geomancy, Bard magicks, Art based Magicks._

_Archaeology._

_Serendipity: The ability of making 'lucky' discoveries._

_**4. BODY MAGICKS:**_

_1. Metamorphagi/Shapeshifters: Able to change the position of internal organs and shift external features. Magic is used to keep up the change and so, they almost always revert to their original appearance while asleep._

_2. Animagi: Able to take on animal shapes that are said to be representations of one._

_3. Body Magic: Able to channel magic into one's body to make themselves lighter, _

_heavier, faster, stronger etc. One of the combat oriented abilities of healers._

_5. **LIFE MAGICKS:**_

_1. Soul Magick: While perverted by many a dark magic user, Soul magicks are one of _

_the ancient magicks still prevalent today. Potraits are a minor form of this magicks. _

_2. Necromancy(White): This is light necromancy unlike the perversion used by dark _

_wizards and witches. The requirement for this is a pure heart and a light soul._

_3. Mind Magicks: Both Warriors and Healers are just as gifted in this sphere, if at all. Healers are more adept at occlumency and fidelimency while warriors are better at _

_legilemency._

_**WEAKNESSES**:_

_Weak against black magick and dark elemental magicks._

_Fall easy prey to undead magicks such as vampiric magicks, but are more resistant to humanoid magicks such as lycan magicks._

'Oookay..', thought Harry,' the list of stuff I can do is really pretty damn large in my affinity to DADA and I m rather good.. or at least can be once I try these stuff out. Speaking of DADA, lets see what I can do with it.'

…_... _

_**THE DARK ARTS AND DEFENCE:**_

_1. Dark Magick: **Restricted**_

_2. Emotion Magicks: Based off emotion, such as the unforgivables and th patronus charm._

_3. Elemental Magicks: Fire elemental magicks, Ice elemental magicks, Shadow elemental magicks, darkness elemental magicks and time elemental magicks are those in which they exist. Like healers, all warriors possess one or more elements. The most, being Lady Morgana Le Fay, who possessed Fire, Ice and Darkness elements._

_4. Protective Magicks: Shields, Battle Transfiguration, Animation are part of this. _

_5. Dark Necromancy: **Restricted**_

_6. Ancient/Forbidden magicks._

_7. Ritual Magicks: This fascinating magicks are truly amazing in their versatility and ingenuity. Masters of ritual magicks are capable of astounding feats, the likes of which is improbable , if not impossible by others._

_8. Blood magicks: **Restricted**_

_9. Duelling._

'Now to figure out a way to actually try out these things. Hmm.. wonder if I actually have any other gifts.. Ah well, I guess I'll find out eventually. No need to worry about it now.' Thinking back to his duel with Voldemort, Harry found several flaws in his execution of the duel itself. 'But even if I have so many gifts, how am I supposed to learn to use them? Go to Dumbledore... Nah, he'd probably tell me to go and not worry about fighting, something like 'love will kill voldymutt' or something along those lines... tch. Nope, I've got to figure this one out by myself. Hopefully, I'll be able to practice better in Hogwarts.'

So he pulled out a book entitled 'A basic compendium of Spells by Griselda Goshwank' and began to read, making notes on a pad wherever necessary. 'How could it be that I never realised the potential of these spells?', thought Harry morosely as he continued combing through the book with a zeal that would make Hermione jealous. He continued writing and reading but soon began to feel drowsy...

Meanwhile, in a dark room, Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton:

"Master! It is truly amazing to see your true power...", quivered a balding rat-like man called Wormtail aka Peter Pettigrew.

"CRUCIO", cried the tall snake faced man with slits for nostrils and red eyes that spoke of untold malice and rage, with the barest edge of insanity flickering in them, sending Wormtail crashing and twitching. "Silence, you snivelling wimp. How dare you speak to me without my express permission?"

"SSSorrrry mmmaster", stuttered a quivering wormtail as he shakily stood from his prone position. "I was just... "

"Well then, dont", cut Voldemort sharply. "I have far too much to do to listen to your pathetic speeches any longer. My power has been cut drastically in half. This new body, however, holds more potential than the previous one ever did. It just needs to be molded to perfection. Wormtail, tell your companions that I shall be in training for the next few months and to lay low. No need to play our hand early, is there?"

So saying, the Dark Lord stalked out of the room in a flurry of robes, followed by his giant serpent, Nagini.

With a start, Harry woke from his sleep.

'So, Voldemort is weakened. Well that might be a great thing for me after all. But he is going to train, so it is safe to assume that he will be at least twice as powerful as he was at his previous heights. Voldemort, you better train well, because I assure you, I will meet you at every single challenge there is and swear that I will beat you.'

He did not notice the flash of light that leapt from his finger tip to his wand and back to his chest, directly above his heart.

Elsewhere, Voldemort suddenly felt a chill creeping up his spine and paused in his long strides to figure out what that feeling was. He shook it off as a weird phenomenon, but could not get rid of the icy feeling that made his heart beat faster...

'Hmmm.. I wonder why I was'nt informed of all this before...', thought a drowsy Harry Potter, this being his last conscious thought as he was robbed of thought and fell into blissful oblivion.

-CHAPTER END-

A/N: Before I start getting flames from any reader/reviewer, I would like to state for the purpose of clarity that this story is NOT a SUPER! HARRY story. Harry will be powerful, yes, but he will be human. Voldemort will be powerful, yes, but he too will be human. As far as pairings go, I am not particularly sure just as yet, but plan into making it a /TD fic eventually. That said, there will be absolutely no romance till about Chapter 25.

A/N 2: And YES, I do realise that the idea for Warrior/Healer types has been done before. However, I dont think it has been classified and clarified in quite the same way as in this fiction. Now, some of the ideas for this has, as we know, been repeated before, but I will hopefully make this different. But for that, I'm gonna require a load of help from you guys. So, please review the story with honest opinions. So, no one liners please. Also, I would be grateful to all my readers if you could actually suggest three (that's right 3) abilities that harry would have. Also you can choose any TWO elements as mentioned in the story and ONE animagus form or metamorphagus ability. HE WILL NOT HAVE BOTH...

A/N 3: Yes, that's a load of A/Ns right there.

A/N 4: This is the last one.

A/N 5: You still reading?... :-P


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